‘^oiiiaii’s  liiiioit  '^issimiatg 


WHIT  I PtIR  OF  SLIPPERS  DID  FOR  IRDIl. 

A TRUE  STORY. 

IT  is  a sultry  afternoon  in  India.  The  wife  of  a missionary  sits 
quietly  plying  her  needle  with  busy  fingers,  gradually  bring- 
ing to  completion  a pair  of  slippers  she  is  working  for  her 
husband.  Although  the  pattern  is  so  intricate  and  the  execution 
so  skillful  that  they  would  seem  to  demand  all  her  attention,  her 
mind  is  rather  occupied  with  thoughts  about  the  multitude  of 
highborn  women  in  that  land  of  roses  whose  condition  is  worse 
than  that  of  convicts  in  our  own  State  prisons.  Many  and  many 
a time  has  she  endeavored  to  do  something  for  them,  but  as  often 
has  she  been  repulsed.  She  has  hoped  that  when  the  young  men 
who  had  been  educated  in  the  mission  schools  grew  up,  she 
might  have  influence  with  them,  and  through  them  gain  her  end. 
She  had  labored  with  them  faithfully,  but  all  in  vain.  The  force 
of  what  she  argued  upon  them  they  acknowledged.  They  felt 
that  it  was  desirable  for  their  wives  to  be  educated,  but  they 
were  powerless  to  helpthem.  The  iron  chains  of  ancient  custom, 
the  grinding  tyranny  of  religious  superstition,  the  machinery  of 
a domestic  red-tapism,  thwarted  their  efforts  and  destroyed  their 
hopes.  And  now,  almost  despairing  of  ever  accomplishing  her 
noble  desire,  she  has  committed  their  interests  to  the  God  she 
loved  and  served,  praying  Him  to  open  a door  for  the  relief  of 
these  domestic  captives.  And  so  she  sits  busily  working,  fast 
completing  the  gift  she  designs  for  him  she  loves;  rejoicing  and 


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thanking  God  that  her  lot  has  been  so  blessed  that  she  is  en- 
abled to  aid  her  husband  in  his  work — that  she  is  permitted  to 
stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  makes  His  people  free, 
untrammeled  by  false  religion  and  social  propriety. 

The  last  stitch  is  taken,  and  she  is  resting  with  a quiet  con- 
tentment in  regard  to  her  own  condition,  and  in  fancy  dwelling 
on  the  comfort  her  little  gift  will  afford  her  husband,  when  the 
door  opens  and  in  walks  a Babu,  or  native  gentleman,  one  of 
her  former  pupils.  He  picks  up  tl^e  slippers,  and  is  lost  in  ad- 
miration. Their  bright  colors  attract  him;  the  skill  manifested 
in  their  execution  is  something  surpassing.  He  had  never  seen 
their  like  before.  And  a woman  made  them,  worked  them  out 
stitch  by  stitch,  and  did  it  with  that  marvelous  magical  instru- 
ment, the  needle ! 

“ Babu,  would  you  not  like  your  wife  to  learn  how  to  make 
you  a pair  of  slippers  ? ” The  thought  flashes  through  her  mind 
like  an  inspiration  from  on  high.  “If  you  will  let  me,  I will 
come  and  teach  her.” 

The  idea  takes  him.  She  lends  him  the  slippers,  and  he 
hurries  away  to  his  home.  The  slippers  are  shown  from  one  to 
another.  The  story  is  told  of  their  being  made  by  a woman,  and 
by  means  of  a little  instrument  they  have  never  seen,  and  of 
whose  virtues  they  were  utterly  ignorant.  Curiosity  gets  the 
better  of  the  superstition ; ambition,  of  custom.  “Could  they 
learn  ? Was  it  possible  for  them  to  make  anything  so  beauti- 
ful ? Why  not  let  the  despised  Christian  woman  come  to  them  ? 
The  pollution  they  could  efface  by  the  appropriate  ceremonies, 
and  how  pleasant  it  would  be  for  them  to  have  something  to 
occupy  their  time,  something  beautiful  in  itself!” 


3 


So  they  talk  it  over,  this  one’s  mother-in-law  with  that  one’s 
mother-in-law,  and  so  until  the  consent  of  all  has  been  gained, 
even  of  the  wife  of  the  old  patriarch  of  the  family,  whose  will  is 
the  ultimate  law  respecting  everything  that  transpires  in  the 
zenana,  or  woman’s  apartment.  The  missionary  lady  is  invited 
to  come  and  teach  the  ladies  in  that  house,  and  soon  they  have 
solved  the  mysteries  and  become  familiar  with  the  powers  of  the 
inscrutable  needle.  Quick  to  learn,  they  soon  have  achieved 
results  which  do  credit  to  their  teaching  and  their  skill. 

Babu  So-and-So  takes  the  pair  of  slippers  his  wife  had  em- 
broidered and  shows  them,  with  justifiable  pride,  to  Babu  Thus- 
and-So.  He  in  turn  shows  them  to  the  ladies  in  his  house,  and 
they  know  they  can  learn  just  as  well  as  the  ladies  in  Babu  So- 
and-So’s  zenana;  so  why  not  let  the  missionary  lady  come  and 
teach  them  ? She  is  invited  ; she  comes ; they  learn  quickly ; and 
so  the  work  spreads.  A pair  of  slippers  has  opened  the  doors 
upon  the  most  heart-grinding  captivity  practiced  in  the  world! 
A pair  of  slippers  has  been  the  instrument  of  letting  in  a ray  of 
light  upon  thousands  who  forages  have  been  sitting  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  shadow  of  death! 

Considered  merely  in  the  light  of  a social  reform,  it  com- 
mends itself  to  our  sympathy  and  interest.  To  give  some  little 
occupation  higher  than  the  menial  duties  which  have  hitherto 
engrossed  all  their  time  to  those  who  naturally  are  the  peers  in 
mental  power  and  physical  beauty  of  the  most  favored  ladies  in 
the  world  is  of  itself  enough  to  enlist  the  zeal  and  aid  of  all. 
But  that  is  the  least  that  is  accomplished.  Along  with  the  fancy 
work,  the  missionary  teaches  these  poor  women  how  to  read, 
and  tells  them  the  attractive  stories  and  the  cheering  promises  of 


4 


the  Bible.  The  truth  of  God  has  made  its  power  felt  in  the  midst 
of  these  old  superstitions,  and  the  desire  to  know  how  to  work  a 
pair  of  slippers  has  in  some  cases  not  been  fully  satisfied  till  the 
feet  of  the  scholar  have  been  taught  to  walk  in  the  way  of  holiness. 

The  wretched  condition  of  women  in  heathen  countries  is 
well  known,  however  little  it  is  appreciated.  Among  them  there 
is  one  class  to  which  attention  has  lately  been  called,  which  seems 
to  be  particularly  wretched  and  unfortunate.  Three-fourths  of 

THE  WOMEN  IN  InDIA  ARE  PRISONERS  FOR  LIFE  in  the  homeS  Of 
their  husbands,  whence  they  are  never  allowed  to  go  forth  ex- 
cept occasionally  to  worship  some  idol,  or,  under  certain  circum- 
stances, to  visit  their  father's  home,  but  always  under  strict 
guard,  and  so  shut  up  as  never  to  see  anything  outside  of 
their  own  miserable  apartments.  What  little  freedom  they 
possess  originally  is  lost  entirely  as  soon  as  they  are  married; 
and  as  it  is  a disgrace  for  any  girl  not  to  be  married  before 
she  is  ten  years  old  (and  they  are  frequently  married  when 
only  four  or  five),  most  of  them  grow  up  without  any  memory 
of  anything  before  that  period.  A tree  or  a flower  is  a wonder 
to  many  of  them. 

Nor  are  there  an)^  alleviations  in  their  lot  in  respect  to  edu- 
cation or  culture.  They  are  ignorant  of  almost  everthing,  and 
have  no  interest  beyond  the  preparation  of  their  daily  meals. 
Their  clothing  is  scanty  and  forlorn.  Their  apartments  have 
almost  no  furniture,  and  nothing  whatever  in  the  way  of  orna- 
ments or  even  conveniences.  The  climax  of  misery  is  reached, 
however,  in  their  widows — unfortunate  creatures,  who  are  doomed 
to  hopelessness  in  this  life  and  that  to  come,  according  to  their 
practice  and  creed.  Mere  little  girls  four  or  five  years  old, 


5 


betrothed  and  married  before  they  have  outgrown  their  baby 
playthings,  if  they  have  seen  their  husbands  but  once,  are  widows 
for  life  should  he  die,  and  have  only  the  fearful  experience  of  a 
comfortless  life  and  a hopeless  death.  Language  is  inadequate 
to  describe  the  forlornness  of  their  condition.  It  is  their  sin 
which  is  supposed  to  have  caused  their  husband’s  death,  and  the 
only  way  of  showing  a proper  respect  to  his  memory  on  the  part 
of  all  the  inhabitants  of  any  house  is  to  neglect  or  heap  indigni- 
ties and  cruelties  upon  the  unfortunate  widow. 

But  if  women  are  thus  despised,  it  would  be  a very  false 
conclusion  to  suppose  that  they  possess  little  or  no  influence.  On 
the  contrary,  among  them  reside  the  practical  present  and  future 
strength  of  heathenism.  Bigotry  is  the  handmaid  of  ignorance. 
The  ignorance  must  be  dispelled  before  attachment  to  their  false 
religion  can  be  broken.  Moreover,  so  long  as  they  remain  faith- 
ful teachers  of  Hinduism,  and  instill  into  the  minds  of  the  young 
their  own  narrow  and  false  notions,  so  long  must  every  other 
means  of  Christianizing  the  nation  be  retarded.  The  most  prac- 
tical means  of  reaching  any  people  is  to  train  up  the  members  of 
the  rising  generation,  as  has  been  evidenced  everywhere  in  the 
history  of  missions.  How  important  then  becomes  every  effort 
put  forth  to  reach  those  who  naturally  and  successfully  exercise 
the  greatest  influence  over  the  young!  As  long,  however,  as 
women  are  secluded,  debarred  from  places  where  instruction  is 
given,  and  forcibly  held  back  from  learning,  and  that  by  such 
means  as  to  render  all  approach  impossible,  missionary  effort  is 
obliged  to  go  over  and  over  again  the  same  tract,  training  boys 
and  young  men  to  be  Christians  after  they  have  been  made  Pagans 
by  their  ignorant  and  bigoted  mothers. 


6 


To  reach  the  women  is  the  object  of  “The  Woman’s  Union 
Missionary  Society  of  America  for  Heathen  Lands,”  organized 
in  i860.  Its  labors  cover  stations  in  China  and  Japan,  but 
a peculiar  interest  attaches  to  its  efforts  in  the  zenanas  of  India. 

In  Calcutta  alone  this  Society — the  first  American  one 
ever  engaged  in  zenana  teaching — has  thousands  of  these  se- 
cluded women  under  instruction.  Stations  have  been  opened  in 
other  portions  of  India,  where  the  work  is  progressing  with  equal 
rapidity. 

Orphanages  for  homeless  girls  are  maintained  in  Calcutta 
and  Cawnpore.  The  oldest  members  are  now  commencing 
their  work  as  native  Christian  teachers,  giving  entire  satisfac- 
tion to  the  missionaries. 

The  Society,  without  paid  officers  or  agents,  has  grown 
yearly  in  influence  and  ability,  widening  its  circle  of  friends  and 
supporters,  commending  itself  by  the  Christian  union  which 
pervades  it  (several  denominations  being  represented  among  its 
managers  and  missionaries)  and  by  its  appeal  to  the  heart  of 
every  true  woman  to  do  what  she  can  to  aid  her  sisters  whom 
idolatry  crushes. 


Mrs.  henry  JOHNSON,  President. 

Miss  S.  D.  DOREMUS,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

Miss  M.S.  STONE,  ) 

Miss  E.  B.  STONE,  ( 

Checks  payable  to  the  Woman’s  Union  Missionary  Society, 
Mission  Rooms,  67  Bible  House,  New  York. 

The  “Missionary  Link”  is  the  monthly  periodical  of  the 
Society.  Price,  50  cents,  yearly. 


